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Hockey: Rams get 1 they need vs. LC

WOBURN -- When it comes to winning and losing in the state tournament, high school hockey teams are only as good as their goalie.

In a contest that featured stellar play in net at both ends of the rink, Shawsheen Tech senior goalie Matt Curran proved to be the difference in a one-goal game.

Curran made 29 saves, including a couple of huge stops in the third period, as the Rams shut out Lowell Catholic, 1-0, Saturday in a Division 3 North Sectional boys hockey quarterfinal at O'Brien Rink.

Shawsheen senior defenseman Ryan Capraro scored the lone goal on a brilliant individual effort with 9:32 left to play in the third period.

Next up for Shawsheen (14-6-1) is a semifinal matchup against Bedford (11-8-3), which edged Lowell, 2-1, in a game decided by an overtime shootout in its quarterfinal. That game is Wednesday at 7:10 p.m. at the Chelmsford Forum.

"(Matt Curran) kind of turned it on midway through the year and became our top guy to go with (in goal)," said Shawsheen coach Chuck Baker. "Today he was lights out. He made all the big saves. I could tell he was focused when he got here.

"He's a senior. He's a kid who played JV for three years. He wanted it this year. He came in this season and took over the starting job."

Lowell Catholic tested Curran early, outshooting the Rams by a 7-2 margin in the first period.

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He made some big stops to keep the game scoreless, and quickly settled into a dominating groove.

With the game on the line in the third period, Curran turned aside 13 Lowell Catholic shots, including four crucial saves during a Crusader power play with less than four minutes to play.

"I thought we carried the play, but their goalie played great," said Lowell Catholic coach Tom Curran. "We got pucks on net and their goalie made some nice saves. We gave a great effort. We just didn't finish. All the credit to goes to them for hanging in there and scoring when they got an opportunity."

Capraro tallied the winning goal on a great rush, splitting Lowell Catholic's defense while breaking in clean and snapping home a forehand drive. Alex Mosca and Ryan Collins assisted on the goal.

"He's a kid who really wants it," said Baker. "He's a competitor. He's a dog when he's out there with some skill. I wish I could use him up at forward. He'd make a real good forward, but he's doing a great job for us on defense. He's a solid all-around player for us."

Lowell Catholic finished a highly-successful season with a 12-7-4 record.

"We had a great season," said Curran. "We won the Catholic Central League Small for the second year in a row. The program has come a long way in five years. We're definitely headed in the right direction. We took a big step in winning a tournament game. We keep getting better each season."

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